Hospitals recruit life-saving robot

An R2-D2 lookalike is helping to reduce hospital-acquired infections (HAI) in New Jersey.

Saint Peter’s University Hospital has recruited the LightStrike germ-zapping robot, which kills deadly bugs by emitting ultraviolet (UV) light. And it is a potentially life-saving robot. According to America’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “in the United States, 1 in every 25 patients will contract an HAI and of those, 1 in 9 will die. HAIs cost the healthcare industry upwards of $30 billion dollars annually.”

“In infection prevention, our goal is to provide a clean, safe environment for our patients, their families and our employees. This latest technology provides an added level of protection in combating HAIs caused by pathogens such as Clostridium difficile and Staphylococcus aureus,” explained Amy Gram, director of Infection Prevention at Saint Peter’s University Hospital. “By improving our disinfection practices with the implementation of the Xenex LightStrike Germ-Zapping Robot, we have added another strategy to further reduce our infection rates.”

It has proved its effectiveness and is being used by more than 400 hospitals worldwide.